Pour Bowl

ABSTRACT

The Pour Bowl is a vessel with multiple applications to aid in the preparation, cooking and serving of food items. It can be applied to solid food items from first step rinsing, through steaming or cooking in water or natural broth. The Pour Bowl is generally round or oval in shape. It can be from single serving to banquet size. It has a loop handle or handles projecting at a right angle from a vertical exterior surface. The opposing vertical exterior surface has a rising sector that ramps above the otherwise common vertical plane of the vessel.  
     A formed protruding spout with a integral in-line strainer is positioned at that elevated position. The loop handle opposite the ramped rising sector provides the means to tilt the Pour Bowl and separately remove all or some desired amount of any liquids, including au-jus broth.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] This invention relates generally to the field of foodpreparation, cooking and serving. Specifically, it relates to theseparation of desired amount of liquids from solid food items duringpreparation, cooking and serving actions.

[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0004] There have been many of food service devices presented thatprovide the potential for the physical separation of liquids fromsolids. They have, however, been found to be separately classified ascooking vessels, serving dishes or colanders.

[0005] One example of a serving dish with separate pouring attributes isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,147,277 issued to Bateman, et al. Thisserving dish has selectively divided compartments and a cover to offereither closure or colander effect to the compartments. This device is aserving dish only. It does not provide the means for preparation,cooking and/or steaming solid food items in or with separable liquids.It is also too complex in configuration to be inexpensively produced.

[0006] An example of a cooking device with a selectable drain port isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,881 issued to William and MarianneBruss. This device is shaped as a typical stovetop sauce pan with theexception of an open porthole located at a right angle to the handlenear the top of a vertical side. A cover is provided with four downwardprojecting skirt segments. One skirt has a strainer configuration. Thecover can be rotated to select the strainer skirt, solid skirt or anopen segment to be in-line with the porthole. With the cover integratedto this process, there is no visual means to determine and regulate apartial liquid removal. This device is not configured or intended toapply beyond that of a potential liquid separation cooking vessel.

[0007] Another example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,045 issued toMichel Delaquis, et al. This device is also shaped as a typical stovetopsauce pan with the exception of some circumferentially applied slots andgrooves placed at or near the top vertical edge of the sauce pan. Thecover has a skirt with tabs and strainer configurations that can bepositioned to pour off liquid or not. With the cover integrated to thisprocess, there is no visual means to determine and regulate a partialliquid removal. This device is not configured or intended to applybeyond that of a potential liquid separation cooking vessel.

[0008] A limited example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. D327,605 issuedto Deanen, et al. This is typical of most colanders that are classifiedas single function ornamental design items. The separation of liquidfrom solids is staged in a like manner to different shapes for totalliquid straining from solid items in or over a pot or sink.

[0009] These known devices all provide limited function in terms ofpreparation, cooking and serving applications. None provide the meansfor a visually controlled partial separation of liquids from solid fooditems.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0010] Disadvantages inherent to known devices have been outlined. Theneed for this multipurpose device has been pronounced. The presentinvention has been developed with diligent consideration towardsatisfying these major function conditions: 1) assist in the solid foodpreparation process by providing a washing and rinsing vessel; 2)provide a microwave oven compatible vessel that allows for a desired andcontrollably executed separation of liquids from solid food items at orduring the cooking cycle; and 3) Be attractive and functional withliquid separation capabilities at the serving table. The preferredembodiment is round or oval in shape. It is formed in ceramic, plasticor other non-metallic compositions.

DRAWING DESCRIPTIONS

[0011] Drawing FIG. 1. An elevated perspective drawing figure displaysthe feature configuration relationships to the specific functions theyprovide.

[0012] The Pour Bowl (1) is a vessel generally round or oval in shape.It has an elevated front surface sector (2) that ramps (3) above theotherwise common vessel vertical plane (4). This elevated sectorprovides a dam to hold the solid food contents when the device is tiltedby use of the loop handle (5). Liquids can be passed, as desired,through the integral strainer (6) and out through the in-line exteriorprojecting pour spout (7).

What is claimed is:
 1. A unique food preparation, cooking and servingvessel comprised of: a round or oval ceramic, plastic or compositionformed structure; a loop handle stationed on an exterior verticalsurface; an opposing elevated vertical surface sector with a integralstrainer in-line with a formed protruding pour spout; a device that isuniquely multi-functional and attractive.
 2. The combination Pour Bowlof claim 1 , wherein the elevated vertical surface sector with thein-line strainer to the pour spout will allow a safe visual reference tothe desired amount of liquid separation and removal from the containedsolid food items.
 3. The combination Pour Bowl of claim 1 , wherein thevisual obviousness of the device provides the visual cue to function. 4.The combination Pour Bowl of claim 1 , wherein a single vessel cansafely and inexpensively replace the need for three separate food vesselelements.